Stacey Tookey - Emmy-nominated choreographer Stacey Tookey is a talented Canadian-born director, choreographer and dancer who has worked with legendary musical artists such as Celine Dion, Bette Midler, Justin Timberlake and Michael Bublé.
She performed as a member of Mia Michaels’ cutting edge dance company R.A.W., New York’s Parsons Dance Project, Ballet British Columbia and the Houston Grand Opera’s Carmen. She also earned the coveted role as an assistant choreographer for Broadway’s A Few Good Men Dancin’ and was an original cast member for the entire five-year run of Celine Dion’s record- breaking show A New Day at Caesars Palace.
Stacey worked as resident choreographer and guest judge on CTV’s hit So You Think You Can Dance– Canada, before being hired for the U.S. version of the show, where her passionate pieces have earned her three consecutive Emmy nominations from 2010-12.
Stacey served as director on the sold-out 2010 So You Think You Can Dance Canada Tour. She choreographed the video for Atlantic Records recording artist Christina Perri’s chart-topping hit Jar of Hearts and Vienne’s She Breaks music video.
Stacey has choreographed full length works for the Los Angeles Ballet and the Cincinnati Ballet 2012 season as well as the workshop for the musical entitled DANCER featuring some of the elite dancers of the National Ballet of Canada. She is also the creator, director, producer and choreographer for the dance drama web series Chasing 8s.
Chantel Aguirre - Company has performed professionally with San Francisco Ballet, Cedar Lake, SoulEscape, Lunge Dance Collective, Tayeh Dance, Shaping Sound Dance Company and now, “Still Motion”. Chantel has worked with Beyonce, Adele, Florence, The Goo Goo Dolls, Taylor Swift, Ceelo, Christina Perri. Panic at the Disco and Chris Brown. She has performed on Dancing with the Stars, The Academy Awards, VMA’s, AMA’s, MACY’s Passport, Billboard Awards, Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and BET Awards to name a few and can be seen on the 2012 cover of Dance Spirit Magazine.
Francisco Avina - Guest Artist is from Orange County California. His training began at Orange County High School of The Arts and continued at the Ailey School in N.Y. He has danced for companies such as River North Dance Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, HSDC2, Ron De Jesus Dance, and Lucky Plush . Among others, he has worked on projects such as "Batman and Robin" The Movie, Fame L.A. The T.V series, High School Musical Mexico, Celine Dion's "A New Day".Currently he is on faculty at the Joffrey Ballet and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Francisco is excited to be back in L.A. after having been gone for more than a decade!
Matthew Banks - Composer & Music Designer Canadian born Matthew Banks graduated from New York City's American Music and Dramatic Academy. Matthew is a singer/songwriter and composer who received credit on Blue Man Group's Double Platinum Concert DVD:The Complex Tour for Exhibit 13. In 2007 he and his wife, Naomi Stikeman, established their production company One Yellow Fish Inc. Matthew co-directed and underscored their stage production Çaturn. Matthew is currently a Blue Man with Blue Man Group.
Melissa Bourkas - Guest Artist began her training at the National Ballet School of Canada and graduated with a BFA from California Institute of the Arts. Melissa joined Luna Negra Dance Theater, Chicago, under Gustavo Ramirez and left to join BodyTraffic, Los Angeles, with Tina Berkett and Lillian Barbietto. Melissa has also performed on X-Factor and The Voice and is delighted to be working with Stacey on her first show.
Peter Chu - Guest Artist is a Juilliard graduate. He has performed with BJM_Danse, EZdanza, Celine Dion’s Vegas spectacular, A New Day, and with Crystal Pite’s company Kidd Pivot. He can be seen in Christina Perri’s Jar of Hearts music video. In 2008, Peter formed his company chuthis. After receiving the Capezio A.C.E Award in 2010, he created Nothing Sticks, a full-length show which recently toured to Vancouver, BC.Peter has choreographed for Naomi Stikeman’s Çaturn, ARTV series in Quebec: Meneuse de Claques, Perry Mansfield New Works Festival, and for So You Think You Can Dance. He currently sits on the faculty of the 24 Seven Dance Convention and will be creating new works for Houston Met Dance Company and Orlando Ballet in 2013.
Patrick Cook - Apprentice is a North Carolina native where he grew up in a local dance studio by the name of CC and Company Dance Complex under the instruction of Christy Curtis and Emily Shoemaker. After high school he moved to Los Angeles in pursuit of commercial dancing. Since moving to LA, Patrick has danced on TV shows GLEE and Disney's Austin and Ally.
Amanda Cleghorn - Company originally from Toronto and known as Canada's favorite female dancer on SYTYCD Season 3, Amanda's performances include Camp Rock 2, Dancing with the Stars, Alvin and the Chipmunks 3, Nikita, The L.A. Complex, Cobu 3D and Hedley's music video "Kiss You Inside Out." She is currently touring with Jump Dance Convention, assisting many renowned choreographers. She truly lives to dance and perform and could not be more grateful to be part of Still Motion.
Jenna Johnson - Apprentice is thrilled to be dancing with Stacey’s, “Still Motion!” She lives to dance!! Jenna is from Provo, Utah. In July, Jenna won the Best Senior Female Dancer at The Dance Awards in New York City. She also holds the National 21 and Under Latin Ballroom title and returned in September from Beijing, China, where she and her ballroom partner represented the United States at the World Ballroom Championships..
Will Johnston - Company San Jose, CA native Will Johnston received the majority of his training under the direction of Kelly and Alex Velasquez. Will is currently working towards his M.F.A. in Dance at UCIrvine where he graduated with a B.F.A in Dance Performance and Choreography and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Will is represented by Clear Talent Group, a dancer for Tayeh Dance, SoulEscape, CollidEdance, Still Motion, and is the Co-Director of Boogiezone’s ENTITY.
Heather Lang - Guest Artist Heather Lang studied at Ruth Page School and Hubbard Street Dance before earning her B.F.A in dance from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Theatre: Happy We'll Be, SpiderMan: Turn Off The Dark, Radio City Rockette, Nights On Broadway II, Spaghetti Ballet/Elliot Feld. Broadway Workshops: Addams Family, Dangerous Beauty, Up Here. Opera: Faust (Met Opera), Grendel (LA opera), Damnation Of Faust (Met Opera). Film: I am Legend, Smurfs, Across the Universe, The Great Observer. TV: "Smash", “Rescue Me”, "Gossip Girl", “VH1 Fashion Rocks”. Heather has also acted in numerous TV commercials. Heather and her pal Eleanor Bauer wrote a two woman show, Trash is Fierce, performed in NYC and throughout Europe. Heather continues to create/perform with Jason Parsons and Ayo Jackson. Recently, she is venturing into creating her own work. She is honored to be performing in "Moments Defined".
Jessica Lee Keller - Company originally from Stillwater, Minnesota, has performed professionally for over 10 yrs. Her credits include: ‘Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet’, ‘The Adjustment Bureau’, ‘Glee’, ‘CSI’, ‘Teen Beach Movie’, ‘The LXD’, ‘DWTS’, ‘SYTYCD’, ‘Movement One’, ‘DS2DIO-S2DIO CITY’, ‘Dangerous Beauty the Musical’, ‘Gallim Dance Company’, ‘The Master of Disguise’, ‘Schooled’, ‘Star Search’, Microsoft, Surface Magazine, and BMW.
William Loftis - Company originally from Columbia, South Carolina has been performing professionally for three years. Some of his credits include: Teen Beach Movie, Glee, DWTS, "No Strings Attached", ACE Awards choreographer, Microsoft, DS2DIO, Florence and the Machine, Shake it Up and Nuvo dance convention.
Noelle Marsh - Company born in the small town of Sanford, North Carolina knew before finishing high school that she wanted to be in Los Angeles pursuing dance as a career. At the age of 18 took on the fox hit series So You Think You Can Dance and earned a place as a finalist. Following the show she has performed on tv episodes like Glee, The Voice, XFactor, House, Parks and Recreation, Bones and Ellen Degeneres. Award shows including the VMA's, Oscars, Billboard awards and has performed with Beyonce, J-Lo, and The Wanted to name a few. Currently, Noelle is working in Los Angeles and is so honored to be a part of Still Motion Dance Company. Stacey's creative genius, passion, and positive influence in the dance world make this experience so gratifying!
Kathryn McCormick - Company originally from Augusta, Ga. Kathryn transitioned into the professional dance industry at the age of 18 after landing a dance role in the remake of Fame. In 2009, Kathryn was selected to be a contestant on Fox’s Hit TV Show SYTYCD where she was third place and top girl of the season. She was later asked back as an Allstar in seasons 7,8, and 9. Since then she has been a constant performer in the industry through projects such as the 82nd annual academy awards and the music videos for Christina Perri’s “Jar of Hearts” choreographed by Stacey Tookey and Vienne’s “She Breaks” which is an outlet bringing awareness to Human Trafficking. In 2010 she started the year off by sharing her time with “The Revolve Tour” where she was a motivational speaker for teenage girls. Soon after she landed the lead role in Step Up Revolution. Stacey has been a mentor for Kathryn on her journey in Los Angeles this far and she is so grateful and honored to share this special moment with her.
Melanie Moore - Company hailing from Marietta, Georgia, Melanie Moore has been training in dance since the age of three. Her hard work and talent paid off when she won season eight of the Fox show “So You Think You Can Dance.” Melanie’s credits also include “The Ellen Degeneres Show,” Nike, JUMP Dance Convention, AUDI, Gatorade, “Dancing with the Stars,” Shaping Sound Dance Company, All the Right Moves on Oxygen, and GLEE. In addition, Moore is constantly working with charities like “Dancers Responding to AIDS” and “Autism Speaks.” She is overjoyed to be part of the Still Motion, and is so thankful to be a part of Stacey’s dream coming to life.
Anthony Morigerato - Guest Artist is the executive director and choreographer for the New York City based AM Productions (2007-Present). Anthony was also the artistic director of the AM Dance Project from 2006-2008. As a performer Anthony has been a soloist and member of Michael Minery's Tapaholics and is the lead tap dancer and choreographer for the musical group Matt and Anthony. Anthony has performed as a soloist in venues all across the US including The Duke, New World Stages, The Theater at St. Clement's, The Beacon, The Nate Holden Theater, The Manhattan Center, Roseland, The National Comedy Theater, The DiCapo Opera House, City Center, The GE Theater, The Victoria Theater at NJPAC, Theater Row, and the Hammerstein Ballroom. He has also appeared on television on the Tony Danza Show and NBC's America's Got Talent. Anthony is an accomplished dancer in all disciplines having trained at Marymount Manhattan College where he performed the works of Robert Battle, Jiri Kylian, Elizabeth Higgins, Katie Langan, David Parsons, and William Soleu. He has served as an adjudicator and master teacher for dance organizations, competitions, theater schools, and dance studios throughout the nation since 1999, having students go on to perform in all aspects of the performance industry. He is currently on faculty for NUVO Dance Convention, SLIDE with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, The Dance Teacher Summit, and The Dance Awards. Most recently Anthony had the privilege to perform as a soloist in Capezio’s 125th Anniversary Gala, Nigel Lythgoe’s Dizzy Feet Foundation Gala, and is proud to be a guest artist in Stacey Tookey’s concert Moments Defined. He is also the proud record holder of the Guinness Book of World Records “most taps in one minute” by making 1,163 sounds.
Jeff Mortensen - Company began Ukrainian dancing and Men’s Artistic gymnastics at the age of 5 in Edmonton, AB. He continued both until the age of 16, choosing a professional dance career. Jeff’s journey has included credits with Cirque du Soleil, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, Hellcats, Twilight, Mirror Mirror, Leaving Grit (Cherice Barton), 2010/2012 Olympic Games. Always wanting to learn something new, acting has brought him to LA.
Jason Parsons - Guest Artist is a New York City based Choreographer/Dancer. Jason's work has has been performed at the Gwang Ju Biennale Festival (South Korea), Baudelaire (Japan), Artedanza (Italy), Nokia Awards (Czech Rep.), Minjockchoom Cultural Festival (South Korea), Puglia Danza (Italy) and the Seoul Contemporary Jazz Dance Festival (South Korea). In May of 2007 Jason collaborated with Italian Artist Elena Parisi to create a moving installation for her premiere exhibition in Milan, Italy. Since February 2008, Jason has been creating and premiering full length concert works for himself and his troupe of dancers. Jason and his dancers have performed in New York City at the Joyce Theater, Cedar Lake Theater, Joyce Soho, Dixon Place, Manhattan Movement and Art Center, Alvin Ailey and for APAP at Carnegie Hall. He most recently worked on Teddy Forance and Jonathan Arpinos's dance film Misery Loves Company. Jason has taught all over the U.S., Canada, Netherlands, England, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Cypress and the Czech Republic.
Chelsea Thedinga - Company grew up in Las Vegas Nevada training at Inspire Dance Company under Robert Contreras and ballet mistress Tara Foy. At 18 she moved to Los Angeles where she began dancing for Sonya Tayeh’s “Tayeh Dance”and Billy Bell’s “Lunge dance collective.” Assisting choreographers on FOX’s So You Think You Can Dance has lead her to performing on the Academy Awards, The American Music Awards, The Video Music Awards, A worlds tour with Latin artist “Chayanne”, Dancing With the Stars, and most recently dancing for Shaping Sounds on Oxygen’s “All the right moves.” Chelsea is grateful for this wonderful opportunity to work and dance with such incredible artists in “Still Motion.” Thanks Stacey!!!
Kevin Tookey - Guest Artist was born into a dance family. His mother Shelley, is a renowned dance educator. His father Wayne, is pretty killer at dance charades. Kevin’s early career aspirations were: 1. Firetruck, 2. Ninja, 3. Fred Savage. Somewhere along the way he stopped kidding himself and started pointing his feet. Company credits include: Joe Ink, The Response, Move, Helix Dance Project & chu this. Love you Stac, you did it.
Bruce Weber - Company is originally from Melrose, MA. Has his BA in dance from Point Park University. Has appeared on So You Think You Can Dance, The Jay Leno Show, and The Ellen Show. Was dace captain for Cirque Du Soleil's Believe in Las Vegas and is currently the dance captain of Cirque Du Soleil's IRIS at the Dolby Theater. Bruce also just recently Choreographed and performed a number for the 84th Annual Academy Awards. A big thanks to Stacey for letting me be a part of this journey and always a big thanks to his family xo